Anton Volchenkov | Defenseman | #20

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Anton Volchenkov has agreed to terms with the KHL's Admiral Vladivostok.

Volchenkov had seven points in 46 contests with Nashville in 2014-15, but he went unsigned for the 2015-16 campaign. He has 19 goals and 133 points in 696 career NHL games. Thu, May 5, 2016 02:00:00 PM

Nashville Predators GM David Poile said that it's possible that the team will go in "another direction" and let Anton Volchenkov become a UFA.

Theoretically, the 33-year-old makes some sense in Nashville, as the team is heavy on offensive defensemen (while he's very much a defense-only type). That said, injuries and low mobility really limited his usefulness in 2014-15. He is a decent resource for "grit stats," however, as Volchenkov complimented his seven assists with 14 PIM, 93 hits and 48 blocked shots in 46 games. Sat, May 30, 2015 02:20:00 PM

Anton Volchenkov and the Nashville Predators have discussed a potential new contract.

It's worth noting that Volchenkov will be entering his age-33 season as a career defensive defenseman and is coming off a one-year, $1M contract. If Volchenkov and Predators GM David Poille do come to terms, it'll likely be as a back-end defender again. What with Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, Seth Jones and Victor Bartley also on the roster. Tue, May 26, 2015 06:35:00 PM

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Nashville Predators GM David Poile said that it's possible that the team will go in "another direction" and let Anton Volchenkov become a UFA.

Theoretically, the 33-year-old makes some sense in Nashville, as the team is heavy on offensive defensemen (while he's very much a defense-only type). That said, injuries and low mobility really limited his usefulness in 2014-15. He is a decent resource for "grit stats," however, as Volchenkov complimented his seven assists with 14 PIM, 93 hits and 48 blocked shots in 46 games.

Anton Volchenkov and the Nashville Predators have discussed a potential new contract.

It's worth noting that Volchenkov will be entering his age-33 season as a career defensive defenseman and is coming off a one-year, $1M contract. If Volchenkov and Predators GM David Poille do come to terms, it'll likely be as a back-end defender again. What with Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, Seth Jones and Victor Bartley also on the roster.

Anton Volchenkov and Kevin Fiala will be healthy scratches in Sunday's game three tilt against Chicago.

The Predators will be without Shea Weber, Mike Fisher and Eric Nystrom because of injury. The series is tied at one, but the Predators will be in tough without Weber and Fisher. They will need a strong performance from goaltender Pekka Rinne in this game.

Anton Volchenkov and Victor Bartley will both be healthy scratches for Thursday's game against Minnesota.

Mike Fisher (lower body) and Eric Nystrom (lower body) will both miss the game due to injury. The Predators have locked up a playoff spot but they will still try to pass St. Louis for first place in the Central Division.

Anton Volchenkov and Victor Bartley will be scratched against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, neither defender has much of any fantasy value behind the stacked Predators D-corps. Volchenkov, who was most notable for his shot-blocking prowess, has just 83 in 42 games this season with little else to beef up his stat line. Bartley at least has made good use of his 35 games, with 10 points, 26 PIMs, 49 blocks, and 69 hits.

"He's been back on the ice for a couple days, so he's another that's day-to-day," coach Peter Laviolette said. "Anytime you get guys back practicing on the ice means they're getting close." He has sat out seven straight games with a lower-body injury.

Depth Charts

Ryan Johansen scored a goal and an assist in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames.

Johansen opened the scoring at the 13:45 mark of the first period and he helped set up Yannick Weber's second-period tally. He finished the night with a plus-1 rating and three shots on goal in 22:40 of ice time. The 25-year-old has seven goals and 36 points in 53 games this season. Johansen has picked up three points in his last three games and eight points in his last eight contests.

"It felt a little weird at first to be back out there," Fisher said. "Everything comes back quick as far as drills and fitting in, all that stuff. But I've still got to keep skating and make sure I get in good, good shape. ... I actually feel better than I thought I would at this point." He made the decision to come out of retirement on Jan. 31. There's no timetable in place for Fisher's return, but he has to sign a new contract by Feb. 26 to be eligible to play this season.

Jarnkrok got Nashville on the board 9:06 into the third period after the St. Louis Blues built a 3-0 lead. The Predators went on to win the game in overtime by a score of 4-3. Jarnkrok has four goals in his last seven outings.

Filip Forsberg tallied the game-winning goal against St. Louis Tuesday night on a penalty shot in overtime.

The Predators battled back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period and Forsberg completed the comeback in dramatic fashion. He finished the match with five shots in 17:07 of ice time. Forsberg has 17 goals and 39 points in 41 games this year.

Kevin Fiala scored his 18th goal of the season in a 3-2 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Following a brief two games without points, Fiala scored his 18th of the season on Saturday. The Predators also got a goal from Scotty Hartnell before winning the game in a shootout. The forward now has 18 goals and 36 points in 53 games this season.

Hartnell opened the scoring at the 4:28 mark of the first period. He finished the game with a plus-1 rating and three shots on goal in 11:31 of ice time. The 35-year-old has nine goals and nine assists in 45 games this season.

Arvidsson gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at the 4:50 mark of the third frame and that goal proved to be the game-winner. He's had a solid couple of days, as he's found the back of the net three times in his last two outings. The 24-year-old is up to 21 goals and 40 points in 57 games this season. He should come close to hitting the 30-goal mark in 2017-18. Scott Hartnell and Kyle Turris also scored for the Preds in the victory.

Craig Smith scored the Nashville Predators' lone goal in a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

Smith now has points in three straight games for the Preds after Saturday night's loss. The winger scored a goal, posted an even rating and four shots on goal in 15:43 of ice-time. Smith now has 17 goals and 33 points in 56 games this season.

Austin Watson scored twice in a 4-3 comeback overtime win against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

Watson registered his second two-goal game of the season Tuesday. The Preds were down three goals to none until the third period. Calle Jarnkrok kickstarted the comeback before Watson scored twice, including the game-tying goal. Filip Forsberg scored the overtime winner. Watson now has seven goals and nine points in 53 games this season.

Pontus Aberg will be a healthy scratch in Monday's game against the Ottawa Senators.

This will be the fourth time in five games that he'll watch from the press box. He has two goals and six assists in 37 games this season. Anthony Bitetto and Matt Irwin will also serve as scratches in this one.

P.K. Subban registered an assist in the Predators' 3-1 loss to Detroit on Saturday.

Subban hit a couple season milestones as that was his 30th assist and 45th point of the campaign. This is the fifth straight season he's contributed at least 30 helpers and the fourth time in the span of five campaigns that he's recorded a minimum of 45 points. At this rate, he might also end up surpassing his career-high of 60 points.

Matt Irwin will be a healthy scratch in Tuesday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Irwin has two goals and six assists in 38 games this season. This will be the 10th time in 11 games that the Predators will make him a healthy scratch. Irwin shouldn't pop up on your fantasy radar. Pontus Aberg and Anthony Bitetto will also watch the game from the press box.

Alexei Emelin will be a healthy scratch in Saturday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.

It's the second time all year that Emelin will be made a healthy scratch. The Predators defenseman has one goal, eight points and a plus-10 rating in 55 games this season. Yannick Weber and Pontus Aberg will also watch the game from the press box.

Ryan Ellis scored a goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Roman Josi fed Ellis for the one-timer that he promptly blasted in behind Louis Domingue for his third goal of the season. Since returning from his knee injury, Ellis has picked up five points in eight games and should definitely be looked at in fantasy leagues (owned in 61% of Yahoo leagues). P.K. Subban and Viktor Arvidsson also scored in the loss.

Pekka Rinne allowed two goals on 38 shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

The Predators went up 2-0 in the first period and they never looked back. Rinne turned aside 32 of 33 shots at even-strength, but he also gave up one goal while his team was shorthanded. The victory allowed him to reach the 30-win mark this season. He has a 30-9-4 record with a 2.35 goals-against-average and a .926 save percentage this season. Rinne will remain a strong number one goalie in all fantasy formats. He has 11 wins in his last 13 games.

The Preds went up 2-0 in the first period and they never looked back. The win put an end to Saros' personal four-game losing skid. Saros now owns a 6-5-5 record with a 2.39 goals-against-average and a .926 save percentage this season. He'll continue serving as Pekka Rinne's backup goaltender, so his fantasy upside is extremely limited.